


Brothers

by ammiehawk



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supernatural
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 13:50:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16119767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammiehawk/pseuds/ammiehawk
Summary: Harry finds out that his family isn’t exactly who he always thought they were. Supernatural/Harry Potter crossover





	1. Prologue

Prologue

 

Harry Potter, age twenty five, sat in his parents’ vault, deep in the heart of Gringotts, finally finding the time and strength to go through his parents’ things. The vault contained all the things his parents had left behind at Godric’s Hollow. Someone, he wasn’t exactly sure who, had gathered all their belongings and stored them here for him so others wouldn’t take off with them when the house was turned into a shrine.

He had already cataloged all the furniture and had tagged most of it to be relocated to Grimmauld Place, his current residence. He had also tackled the clothing and had them ready for storage. Now all that was left were boxes upon boxes of knickknacks, books, and photographs and other memories.

He was about a quarter of the way through when he stumbled on a small stack of letters, tied together with a string. They were addressed to his father and all had the same return address in the States. His curiosity piqued, he untied the string and began flipping through them. He could tell they were from at least two different people, as the handwriting varied on some of the letters. It was as he reached the bottom of the stack that something caught his attention. The very last letter was addressed to him. A frown marred his features as he broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out a sheet of flowery stationary.

_My dear Harry,_

_I know that this is going to seem strange, and I truly hope you are old enough to understand. First, before anything else is said, this is in no way a means to come between you and Lily. Lily is an amazing woman and an excellent mother, you are lucky to have her. But that aside, I feel, and your father agrees with me, that you should know the truth. So on that note, I am your mother, your biological mother, Lily will always be your mom._

_With that being said, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Mary Winchester. I live in Lawrence, Kansas with my husband, John, and our son, your half brother, Dean._

He stopped reading for a moment, completely floored by the situation. He had family out there. Biological family. And from the sounds of it, his… mother wanted to know him. He couldn’t believe it. But then again, how was this even possible? Did his dad cheat on his mom?

_Now before you run off with the idea that your dad cheated on Lily, know that he didn’t. I met James before he married Lily. They were actually broken up when we met. They got back together shortly thereafter and got married, but I was already pregnant with you. I stayed with them throughout the pregnancy and got to know both of them really well. And they got to know me and my son, even becoming his godparents before I left._

_After you were born, James convinced me to go back to my husband. I decided it would be best if I left you with them, for your protection. I knew that if I took you home with me, John would be furious and I didn’t want that for you. The main reason, however, was because they were better equipped to raise a magical baby than I was._

_All that aside, if you decide you want to know your other family, you are more than welcome. Feel free to write, or if you want to come visit, our home will always be open to you._

_I love you with all my heart, my dear baby boy,_

_Mary_

Harry closed his eyes as tears began streaming down his face. This Mary wanted him and loved him. It was everything he’d ever wanted. He flipped over the letter, hoping to find an address, when something else grabbed his attention.

_Hey kiddo,_

_Name’s John. I’m your stepdad, I guess, if you want to go that route. Anyway, I’m Mary’s husband. Anyway, if you want to come out here, you’re more than welcome. I just figured I’d throw that out there. Our family is yours, whenever you want it. Anyway, I look forward to seeing you, kid._

_John_

Well that settled it. He had to go to the States and find these Winchesters. They were his family and they wanted him. He had to at least meet them.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 

Harry pulled up outside a grey two story house in Lawrence, Kansas. He consulted the stack of letters in the passenger seat of the rental car he’d gotten upon arriving in Kansas City. The address matched. He took a deep breath as he got out of the car and began making his way up the walk to the porch. He hesitated for just a moment before knocking on the closed portal.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal a pretty blonde woman, though she looked too young to be his mother.

“Yes?” she asked curiously.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” he shook his head to clear his thoughts, “but I’m looking for John and Mary Winchester.”

“I’m sorry,” she gave him a sad look, “but they don’t live here anymore.”

“Oh,” his face fell slightly. “You wouldn’t happen to know where they moved to, would you?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t,” she shook her head. “I just moved here from Wichita.”

“I’m really sorry to have bothered you,” he ran his hand through his hair. “It was really a long shot that they’d be here, so I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

He turned to head back to his car, only to come face to face with two men. It took him a moment to realize that they were standing on the step leading up to the porch, making them easily a head taller than him. Which was really not fair if you asked him.

“Uh, excuse me,” he said as he slipped between them.

He had only made it a few paces when he heard them introduce themselves. He whirled around. But was too late, as they had followed the blonde into the house. He decided to wait until they came back out to see if they’d talk to him.

About fifteen minutes later, the pair reemerged from the house and made their way to the black ’67 Chevy Impala parked across the street. Taking another calming breath, he got out of his car and jogged across the street after them.

“Excuse me,” he called when he was almost to them. “I know you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, but I couldn’t help overhearing you earlier. Are you the Winchesters?”

“What’s it to you, kid?” the shorter of the two shot back as he leaned against the open driver’s side door.

“Well,” he licked his lips nervously, “I’m actually here looking for someone, and if you are, maybe you could help me. Her name’s Mary Winchester.”

“Look, kid, you’re barking up the wrong tree, she’s dead,” the man pursed his lips in a scowl.

“What? No, that can’t be,” Harry began to panic slightly, he couldn’t have come all this way just for them to be gone too. “Okay. Okay, what about John? John Winchester?”

“Why do you want to know?” the other asked, leaning on the roof of the car.

“Well, you see,” he fidgeted slightly, “Mary Winchester is… was my mother.”

“Prove it,” the first demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Okay,” the bespectacled man nodded. “I can do that. I just have to run back to my car,” he motioned across the street. “Please don’t leave.”

As he took off across the street, the taller of the pair turned an incredulous stare at the other. “Dude, what the hell?”

“Look, Sammy,” green eyes turned to meet hazel, “there’s no way in hell he’s got actual proof that he’s mom’s kid. He’s what? Fifteen? Sixteen tops? At best, he’s got forged documents, though I have no clue what he’s set to gain by that. At worst, he’s some kinda nasty trying to get to us or Dad and we’ll have to waste him.”

“I guess,” Sammy sighed. “I just don’t like it, Dean. First, this case that brings us home, and now this kid. Something’s up, Dean.”

“I’m not sayin’ I don’t agree with you,” Dean shook his head. “We just gotta treat this like any other case.”

He cut off as the dark haired man returned, clutching a letter in his hand.

“Here,” he handed it to Dean.

The elder brother took it and quickly read through it. Once he was finished, he handed it to Sam, while he continued to examine the envelope. His eyes widened marginally when he read the post mark dated July 15, 1981. That would make this kid older than Sammy.

“I want that back, please,” Harry’s voice cut into their confused thoughts. “It’s all I have.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Sam handed back the letter as Dean handed over the envelope. “So, you’re Harry?”

“Yeah,” he shook his head. “So do you know how I can reach John?”

“Nope, can’t help ya there, kid,” Dean shook his head.

“Well,” Harry sighed and pulled out another piece of paper, “here’s my cell number, please let me know if you hear anything. Or if you just want to talk Dean,” his eyes darted between the pair, unsure which one was his brother.

Dean took the paper and finally got in the car, crumpling it slightly and letting it fall to the floor. He started the engine as Sam got into the passenger seat. He took off, leaving the other man standing in the street. As they drove, they continued talking about the case, both silently agreeing to leave the matter of their supposed brother alone for the time being. He finally pulled into a gas station.

“I’ll be right back,” Dean said after more discussion, and he had filled the tank. “I gotta use the bathroom.”

He walked away from the car and his brother. After turning the corner, he stopped next to the bathroom and pulled out his cell phone. Making sure the coast was clear, he dialed a number.

~This is John Winchester. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean at 866-907-3235.~

“Dad?” he said after the tone. “I know I’ve left you messages before. I don’t even know if you get ’em.” He cleared his throat. “But I’m with Sam. And we’re in Lawrence. And there’s somethin’ in our old house. I don’t know what to do. And there’s more, there’s a guy here asking about you and Mom. Said he was Mom’s son. So, whatever you’re doin’, if you could get here. Please. I need your help, Dad.”

He hung up and quickly composed himself before making his way back to the car. Without a word, he got in and went off in search of a motel. They were unloading the car when Dean’s phone began ringing. He pulled it out and stared incredulously at the caller I.D.

“Who is it?” Sam asked curiously.

“Dad,” the elder shook his head, before flipping the phone open. “Dad?”

~Dean,~ John Winchester’s voice filled his ear, ~where is Harry now?~

“Wait, this is about the kid?” he asked in disbelief. “I tell you something might be in our old house and you’re worried about a kid who claims to have a connection with us?”

~Answer the question, Dean,~ John demanded.

“I don’t know,” he scowled darkly. “We left him at the old house.”

~Tell me you have a way to get a hold of him.~

“He left a cell phone number,” Dean answered.

~Good,~ his father acknowledged. ~You call him and find him. Then you call me. Once you have your brother, then you work the case. Family comes first.~

With that the line went dead. Green eyes glared at the device before flipping it closed and throwing it on one of the beds. His younger brother stared at him in confusion.

“You called Dad?”

“Yeah,” he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “I wanted help on the case, as well as answers about the kid.”

“Okay…” Sam pressed. “And he called back because of Harry?”

“Yeah,” green eyes rolled in annoyance. “He wants us to find him. Where is that number anyway?” he began patting his pockets.

“Here,” the taller of the two pulled it out of his coat pocket.

“So,” he continued, taking the paper, “I’ll go find the kid, you go see what you can find on the case.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked, confused.

“You didn’t hear Dad,” Dean shook his head. “At least I’m willing to continue with the case as well as search for our brother.”

“So, he is our brother?” a brow rose in disbelief.

“If you’d heard Dad’s reaction you wouldn’t argue,” the older brother scoffed. “Besides, I didn’t give the kid’s name, but Dad knew exactly who I was talking about. Anyway, you go find out what you can and I’ll catch up with you once I find the kid.”

“Okay,” Sam sighed, picking up the keys to the Impala. “Have Harry meet you here, and you can use his car.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the shorter of the pair scowled. “One scratch and I’ll kill you myself.”

As soon as his brother had left, he picked up his phone and flipped it open. He stared between it and the number for almost a full minute before finally punching in the number. He took a deep breath, wishing he had a drink, as it began to ring. He was just about to hang up when the line finally connected.

~Hello?~

“Uh, hi, uh, Harry? It’s Dean,” he answered nervously.

~Dean,~ the other sounded surprised. ~Uh, look, I’m sorry about earlier. I probably shouldn’t have come. I don’t really know what I was thinking. But you don’t have to worry, I’m getting a flight back to London as soon as I can, and you never have to see me again.~

“No, don’t,” he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Look, you caught us off guard earlier. But I called Dad and he wants to talk to you.”

~He does?~ Harry asked, confused.

“Yeah,” Dean nodded. “So, uh, if you could come to where I’m staying, I’ll call him and you can talk to him. I would offer to meet you somewhere, but Sammy took the car so I’m kinda stuck.”

~Okay, where are you staying?~

He gave the name of the motel.

~What room number?~ even though he couldn’t see him he could tell the other man was frowning.

He rattled off the room number almost automatically. As soon as he finished there was a loud rapping on the door. Green eyes shot warily to the closed portal.

~Dean, open the door,~ there was a weird sort of echo from both the phone and outside. ~It’s Harry.~

Dean slowly got to his feet and pulled his gun from his waistband, before making his way to the door. It seemed a bit too quick for the other to have arrived, unless he was following them, or worse.

Keeping the gun hidden, he eased the door open just a crack. Sure enough, the messy haired, bespectacled young man from earlier was standing on the other side.

“How’d you get here so fast?” Dean frowned.

“It’s not like it’s magic, Dean,” Harry chuckled as he pulled the phone away from his ear. “It’s the only motel in town. I’m staying two rooms down.”

“Uh, right,” the older male scratched his neck a bit sheepishly. “Uh, well, come on in.”

He opened the door further, keeping the hand holding the gun out of sight. The shorter man nodded slightly as he stepped into the room. As soon as his back was fully to Dean, the hunter surreptitiously slipped the gun back into his pants.

“So, uh, have a seat,” he motioned to the small table in the room. “I’ll call Dad. He doesn’t usually answer right away, so this could take awhile.”

“O-okay,” Harry took a seat in one of the chairs.

Dean nodded and pulled his phone out again. He quickly located his dad’s number and hit the call button. He was expecting it to go to voicemail as it usually did, so it surprised him when it was picked up on the second ring.

~Dean, is Harry there?~

“Yeah, he’s here,” he cleared his throat to hide his surprise. “Dad, what’s going on?”

~Give him the phone,~ John demanded, completely ignoring the question.

“Dad.”

~Give Harry the phone, Dean, I won’t ask again.~

Dean gave a growl of frustration as he pulled the device away from his ear and held it out to the other, “He wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Harry took the phone and placed it to his ear. “Hello?”

~God, boy, it’s good to hear your voice,~ John took a deep breath. ~I’m John, Mary’s husband.~

“Uh, hi, I’m Harry, Harry Potter,” he fumbled slightly. “Look, I’m sorry I dropped in like this. It seems like it’s a bad time.”

~No, don’t apologize. I’m glad you’re there. In fact, it’s actually really lucky you caught the boys, they were just passing through. See, we don’t live in Lawrence anymore, haven’t since Mary died.~

“I was sorry to hear about that,” green eyes closed as tears stung at the back of his eyes. “Do you mind my asking what happened?”

~I don’t want to discuss that over the phone,~ John said evenly. ~If you stay with Sam and Dean, I’m sure we’ll meet up sometime soon. We can discuss it then. And we can talk about what happened to you too. Cause when we found out what happened to James and Lily and you weren’t brought immediately to us, we assumed you were dead too.~

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “But it seems like you are in the middle of something. I don’t want to impose, so maybe it’d be best if I go home and wait for a better time.”

~No, you stay with Sam and Dean,~ he insisted. ~I’m sure we’ll meet up soon. I’m not losing you again, kid. Mary wouldn’t have wanted that. Now, give the phone to Dean, and I’ll get everything squared away.~

“Fine,” Harry sighed, pulling the phone away from his ear and holding it out to his brother. “He wants to talk to you.”

Dean took the phone back and put it to his ear, moving to the door so he could step outside and have a semblance of privacy.

“Dad, what the hell?” he hissed quietly. “This kid could be any number of things, and you’re just blindly going to accept that he’s Mom’s long lost kid?”

~Hell no, I wasn’t born yesterday,~ John snapped. ~There were only five people in the whole world who knew about Harry’s connection to Mary, and four of them are dead. So you do whatever tests you can think of to prove he’s not something else. Just, Dean, be subtle. Don’t hurt him if you can help it. Cause if he is just Harry, I don’t want to scare him away. But either way, keep him with you, till I meet up with you. Even if he comes out clean, I have a few tests you boys don’t know about. Cause one way or another, I want to know what happened to Harry.~

“Wait,” Dean shook his head, “so you’re sayin’ that Mom did have another kid?”

~Yeah, she did,~ his father sighed. ~But we’ll talk about that later, right now, you have a job to do.~

With that the line went dead. He gave a deep sigh and turned to make his way back into the room.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

“So,” Dean said as he entered the room again, “Harry, want something to drink?”

He made his way over to the small kitchenette the room sported. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to test this kid without being obvious about it.

“I’ll take some water,” the bespectacled male shook his head.

“Okay,” well that made things easier.

He reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of holy water and passed it to the younger man. He took out a beer for himself and then sat down at the table across from Harry.

“So, uh…”

“Well, I was…”

They both started at the same time. They tried a couple more times until Harry finally held up his hand.

“I think we should maybe take turns,” he chuckled slightly. “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions first, because I have a feeling that anything you’re going to ask I’ll have to answer twice: once to you and once to your dad. Now, I don’t mind answering some questions, but if I feel it should wait for John, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay,” Dean nodded slightly. “Sounds fair. And if I feel there’s something Dad can answer better, I’ll do the same.”

“Sounds great,” the raven nodded. “So first question, John said you don’t live here anymore, and if it’s not too forward, where do you live?”

“Uh, here and there,” the older male shrugged. “We, uh, travel a lot for work. What about you, what part of Merry Ole do you live in?”

“London,” he shook his head. “I live with my best friend in the house my godfather left me. What do you do for a living that keeps you moving around so much?”

“Uh, it’s a, uh, family business, so you’ll have to ask Dad for more details,” Dean shook his head, and pulled out a silver flask from his inside jacket pocket and took a swig.

“Oh god, can I have a drink of that, please?” the younger man groaned slightly. “I know it’s your turn for a question, but I feel like I’m on trial all over again.”

“Trial?” a brow shot up as he handed over the flask, this might be a lot easier than he thought: the flask was pure silver and he always kept it filled with bourbon laced with holy water and a pinch of salt.

“Yeah,” Harry grimaced slightly as he took a swig. “I was fifteen, on trial for something I did in self defense, but the charges were all cleared so I got off free and clear. Well,” he took another swig and handed the flask back, “I have many more questions, but I feel that they are going to have to wait for John, so feel free to continue with the interrogation.”

“Interrogation?” Dean scoffed and took a drink himself. “That’s what you’re gonna go with?”

“Well, if the shoe fits,” he shrugged. “And you can’t tell me it’s not. I mean, come on, you went outside to finish the conversation with your dad, and when you return immediately begin with the Q and A, while providing alcohol in the hopes of relaxing me and getting me to talk. But I’m not trying to hide anything from you, Dean, so ask away. And the questions I don’t answer are just because I don’t want to have to repeat myself, so just consider them postponed. So ask away.”

“Okay,” the elder male shook his head. “So why have I never heard of you before?”

“That would be something to take up with your dad,” Harry sighed. “And as for my childhood, that’s kind of one of those postponed conversations.”

“Fine. What do you do for a living?”

“Well,” a smile flickered across the raven’s face, “I finished university about a year ago with a degree in chemistry. I also recently finished culinary school. And completed my mastery. So I haven’ really started ‘doing’ anything yet.”

“How do those even go together?” Dean scoffed. “Chem and cooking?”

“They are actually very similar,” the bespectacled man chuckled. “Chemistry is mixing chemicals together to create something new, while cooking is mixing different foods together to make something new. And speaking of food, I haven’t really eaten since… yesterday, so do you think we could go somewhere and get something?”

“Or,” Dean pushed to his feet and grabbed a few pamphlets off the counter, “how bout we order in? Besides, Sam should be back soon.”

“Speaking of,” he picked up one of the menus, “who is Sam? Are you two, uh, together?”

“What?!” the brunet asked incredulously. “No! No. Hell no.”

“Look, there’s no problem if you are,” Harry held up his hands. “I’ve had a few tosses with guys before. There’s something to be said for shackin’ up with a bloke.”

“No. Wait, you’re… you’ve…” Dean shook his head. “Never mind. Sammy’s my kid brother. Our brother.”

“What?!” Harry practically screeched. “That is so not fair!”

“What?” the elder man asked confused.

“You’re telling me that that… that… giant is younger than me?” green eyes widened incredulously.

Dean couldn’t help but laugh at that. True, he had a bit of an issue with the fact that his kid brother had the height advantage over him, but he’d mostly gotten over it over the years. The fact that this supposed newfound brother of theirs was making such a big deal out of it struck him as hilarious.

888

Sam made his way back to the motel in search of his brother. He had done a good portion of the legwork for the case, even going to visit their dad’s old business partner. He had another lead he wanted to check out, but he was starting to get worried. He hadn’t heard from Dean since they’d split up a couple hours ago.

A frown crossed his features as he parked in front of their hotel room. The only car he saw outside the motel was parked two doors down, and he was positive he’d seen it when he left. So where were his brother and their… guest? He pulled out his phone as he killed the engine, to see if Dean had left him a message. No such luck.

He got out of the impala and made his way to the room, typing a text as he went. He was just about to hit the send button when he heard his brother’s laughter coming from within the room.

His frown deepened as he fished the room key out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock. He opened the door and slipped into the room. He stopped just inside the door and took a moment to process the scene before him. Dean was sitting at the table the room sported, with his head thrown back in laughter, with the young man from before, Harry, staring at him in disbelief.

“Did you break my brother?” he asked curiously.

“Oh… god, Sammy,” Dean tried and failed to contain his mirth.

“This isn’t funny!” the raven crossed his arms over his chest, as his gaze turned to the newcomer. “And this is so not fair!”

“I feel like I’m missing something,” hazel eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Don’t… Don’t worry about it, Sammy,” the eldest brother continued to chuckle. “Harry, here just has a bit of a,” he snorted slightly, “short complex.”

“I do not have a short complex,” Harry scowled. “I just think it’s not fair that my… supposed ‘little’ brother looks like he’s part giant.”

“Right,” Dean’s tone belied his skepticism. “I think you’re just a shrimp who doesn’t like to be reminded he’s a shrimp.”

“Okay, okay,” Sam held up his hand as Harry opened his mouth to retort. “I’m sure this could go on all day. But, Dean,” he gave his brother a pointed look, “we have a… job to do. And I think I’ve got a lead.”

“Awesome,” the elder Winchester nodded. “Well, Harry and I were just about to order something for lunch. Why don’t we eat, then you and me can get back to work, and Harry can wait here till we get back?”

“Look,” the bespectacled man shook his head, and got to his feet, “I’m obviously imposing here. So, why don’t you go to work, and I’ll head home? We can call and arrange something at a later date.”

“Look,” Dean shook his head, getting up as well, “would you stop trying to go back to England? You’re not imposing, you’re family. Besides, Dad wants to talk to you, and you’re gonna stick with us until he does. Now, Sam and I are gonna go out and finish this job, why don’t you go back to your room and gather your stuff? We’ll come pick you up when we’re done. It should be no later than tonight, maybe tomorrow morning. Okay?”

“Fine,” Harry threw up his hands in defeat. “Fine, I’ll stay. But only until I talk to John.”

“Great,” the short haired brunet clapped his hands. “Come on, Sammy, let’s go.”

With that the pair left the room. Harry stood there for a few more minutes, listening to the car outside drive away. He ran his hands through his hair and finally made his way back to his own room. He had just made it inside and flopped down on the nearest bed, when there was a loud knocking on the door.

A frown marred his features as he sat up. He wasn’t expecting anyone, his… brothers had just left after all. With that thought, he pulled his wand from his sleeve and made his way to the closed portal. Very carefully, he opened the door, prepared to attack if necessary.

On the other side was a tall man with dark hair and a few days scruff on his chin, both were liberally peppered with gray.

“Can I help you?” a dark brow rose curiously.

“Hi, Harry,” he smiled down at him. “I’m John Winchester.”

“Uh, J-John,” he shook his head in disbelief. “Won’t you come in?” he held the door open for the older man. “I wasn’t expecting you. The way Dean was talking, it didn’t sound like you were in town.”

“I wasn’t,” John chuckled slightly. “But I figured you were worth the trip.”

“Right,” Harry bit his lip. “Uh, listen, John, not that I’m not grateful that you’re here, but I’ve had too much shit go down in my life. So maybe you can answer a question and tell me who Padfoot is?”

“Padfoot?” the other frowned.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

He knew it was possibly a long shot that the older man knew what he was talking about, but he had read through some of the letters his father had received from the couple and Padfoot had been mentioned, at least once. He just hoped he wasn’t wrong in trusting this man and his sons. He knew his friends and the late Alastor Moody would tear him a new one if they found out he’d done something this reckless.

“Well, if I remember right,” John scratched his chin in thought, “that’s what James called his best friend and your godfather, Sirius Black.”

“Sorry about that,” Harry chuckled as he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I just had to make sure. I’ve had too many… weird things happen in my life to be too careful.”

“No, I understand,” the older man shook his head. “I’ve been around the block a time or two myself. Which is why,” he pulled a large knife from his belt, “I’m sure you’ll understand that I’ve got a few tests of my own.”

“And what do you expect to do with that?” green eyes darted over the wicked looking blade.

“Me, nothing,” he flipped the knife so the handle was facing the younger man. “ _You_ are going to use it to cut yourself. Doesn’t have to be big or deep, just enough to draw blood.”

“And why would I do that?” a dark brow rose incredulously as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re stalling,” John pointed out.

“Hell yeah, I’m stalling,” he scoffed. “The last time someone had a knife like that pointed in my direction, they took my blood to resurrect my worst enemy. So excuse me for not wanting anything to do with that knife.”

“Look,” John took a deep breath, “either you’re gonna do it, or I am. But I can promise I’m not gonna do anything with your blood but look at it.”

“Fine, just do it,” Harry thrust out his arm and turned his head away.

The other man gave him a curious look before flipping the knife again and nicking the skin in the middle of his forearm. The bespectacled man flinched at the sudden pain but didn’t pull away. After a moment, John was apparently satisfied as he finally released him.

“Okay,” John sighed, “now that that’s out of the way, we can talk. Now, I know you have some questions about Mary, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to know what happened to you first. Cause as I mentioned earlier, we thought you were dead.”

“Alright,” Harry nodded, motioning for him to have a seat. “But before I do, I need to know how much you know about my par… about James and Lily.”

“They’re still your parents, kid,” the older man shook his head. “And I know quite a bit. Of course, Mary knew more, but I know enough to be going on with.”

“Like?”

“Look, kid, I know what you’re getting at,” he ran his hand through his hair. “And the answer is yes, I know about your brand of magic and that they were a witch and wizard. And that you’re one too.”

“Well, that makes things so much easier,” the raven sighed. “Okay, so I guess I’ll start with my parents. I know you know they’re dead, but I doubt you know that they were murdered.”

“Murdered?” John asked incredulously. “By who, or what?”

“A dark wizard who called himself Voldemort,” he shook his head. “He only killed them because he was trying to get to me.”

“Why would he want to kill you, you were just a baby?” the older man frowned.

“A convoluted prophecy, that said that a child born at the end of July would have the power to defeat him. He picked me. Anyway, from there I was placed with my mum’s… Lily’s sister. I lived there, completely ignorant about magic and what really happened, until I was eleven, when I was accepted at Hogwarts.”

“Did you like Hogwarts? James always said it was the best time of his life,” John chuckled slightly.

“I did, it was the first place I ever considered home,” he smiled slightly. “It was really interesting too, except that four out of the six years I attended I faced Voldemort, in one form or another, and the other two years I faced some of his followers. All that aside, he’s dead now, for good. I finally fulfilled the prophecy when I was seventeen and freed the wizarding world, and I guess the Muggle one too, from his threat ever again.”

“Damn, kid,” the older man shook his head. “That’s some story. So I guess it’s my turn.”

John then told him what happened to Mary and how he’d picked up hunting in an effort to track down and kill whatever had killed her.

“So let me get this straight,” green eyes narrowed slightly, “you raised Dean and Sam to hunt the supernatural?”

“Yeah, that’s what we do,” the older man frowned.

“So you taught _my brothers_ to hunt and kill magical beings?”

“Look, Harry,” John said placatingly, “it’s not like that, you’re family.”

“And you really think they’ll take that into consideration if I forget and do magic in front of them?” he scoffed. “They kinda seem like the shoot first ask questions never type to me.”

“Okay, you’ve got a point,” he chuckled wryly. “I did teach them that way. In my defense, we don’t come across any natural born wizards, so I’ve never had the need to explain to them that they’re not bad. I’ll make you a deal, I’ll call Dean and tell him not to do anything rash and give you the chance to explain everything to them.”

“And Sam?” a dark brow rose incredulously.

“You don’t have to worry about Sam, he’s more understanding than Dean or I.”

“Fine,” Harry sighed heavily. “I’ll trust you, but only because I really want to get to know the three of you.”


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

John didn’t stay long, just long enough for them to grab a bite to eat. They talked as they ate, mostly just sharing humorous stories from their pasts, but not really touching on anything too serious. Afterward, the elder Winchester took his leave, apologizing for not being able to stay but he had been in the middle of a hunt and really needed to get back to it.

Once he was gone, Harry grabbed a quick shower and made sure he had everything together, so that when his brothers, that was still so weird to think about, arrived, he would be ready to go. He was contemplating taking a nap, since he’d been practically going nonstop for the past seventy-two hours, since he had found those letters. Before he could, however, his phone began to ring.

“Hello?” he said as he laid his head on the pillow.

~Where the fuck are you?~ his best friend’s voice filled his ear.

“Mione,” he grimaced slightly, he’d been in such a hurry he’d kind of forgotten to let her know he was leaving. “Sorry, uh, something came up.”

~Something came up?~ she scoffed. ~Harry, you’ve been gone for more than two days. And when I tried to call yesterday, you didn’t answer.~

“Yeah, I was kind of on a plane yesterday,” he rubbed his eyes.

~A plane? To where?~

“The States,” he flinched, knowing what was coming next.

~Harry James Potter, what the hell are you doing in the States?!~ she practically screeched. ~You could’ve left a note, or called, or something! Do you know how worried I’ve been?~

“Look, Mione,” he placated, “I get it. And if I had time, I would’ve told you. But as it was I felt I couldn’t wait. I found something in my parents’ vault that I had to look into. And I’m glad I did, because apparently it was time sensitive. Now, I can’t really go into it right now, because I’m still trying to work it out.”

~Fine,~ she sighed in resignation. ~Keep your secrets. Just promise me you’re not doing anything dangerous.~

“I can’t do that,” he ran his hand through his hair.

~Harry James Potter!~ Hermione snarled, before taking a deep breath. ~Look, just come home. You have an interview next week. And you know that Minerva will give you the job. So, please, take it. You’ll be back at Hogwarts in September, and you won’t be doing anything dangerous. It’s what you always wanted.~

“I know, Mione, I know,” he gave a long suffering sigh. “I just have to see this through.” He paused as he heard footsteps outside his room, followed by a series of knocks. “Look, I’ve gotta go, my brothers are here. I’ll call you later. Bye.”

With that he hung up the phone and made his way over to the door. He had his wand ready, just in case he was wrong in his assumption of who was at the door. He glanced through the peephole, and smirked slightly at the sight of his older brother standing there. He slipped his wand back into its holster on his forearm and opened the door.

“Dean,” he greeted, leaning against the frame, arms crossed loosely over his chest.

“Harry,” the elder man fidgeted slightly. “Great. You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “But, uh, what am I supposed to do with my car?”

“It’s a rental, right?”

“No, Dean, I flew the thing from England,” green eyes rolled in slight annoyance. “Of course, it’s a rental.”

“Awesome,” Dean clapped his hands together. “Sammy can drop it off at the nearest rental shop, and you can ride in the Impala.”

“So now you’re trying to keep an eye on me?” the raven chuckled. “Are you afraid I’m going to run back to London?”

“Well, you have threatened to many times since we met,” he shrugged.

“And as tempting as it is to go home and get a job at my old school, and move on with my life,” he shook his head, “I really want to get to know you and Sam. So, until further notice, you’re stuck with me.”

“Great, then grab your stuff and let’s go,” Dean motioned for him to get a move on.

Harry just rolled his eyes but grabbed his bag and followed the older male out of the room. He made a quick detour to the main office to turn in his room key and then went over to the classic car. Sam and Dean were having a whispered conversation while leaning on the hood, but stopped abruptly as he drew near.

“Okay,” the short haired brunet pushed off the car. “So toss your stuff in the back seat, and give Sammy your keys, and we’ll be going.”

“Right,” the bespectacled man shook his head, as he pulled the keys out of his jeans. “Just park it in the lot and drop the keys in the night slot.”

Sam nodded and took the keys. His long legs made short work of the walk to the rental as the two older males slipped into the front of the Impala. They drove to the rental shop in silence, and after a few minutes Sam joined them in the car, taking the back seat.

“So,” Harry decided to break the silence, “where are we headed?”

“We have a couple things to do before we actually leave town,” the youngest Winchester answered, causing his older brother to roll his eyes.

“I thought we were done,” Dean sighed, but pulled out of the parking lot and headed in a predetermined location.

Sam didn’t say anything and Harry just looked between the pair as they drove. They finally came to a stop outside of their old house. Dean parked across the street and settled in to wait.

“All right,” he shook his head, “so tell me again, what are we still doin’ here?”

“I don’t know,” the youngest sighed, leaning forward on the back of the front bench, between the other two. “I just… I still have a bad feeling.”

“So,” Harry interjected, “what was in the house?”

The two Winchesters shared a look. They’d obviously forgotten he was still in the car.

“Look,” he continued, “I get you’re both not that comfortable telling me anything, but if I’m going to be traveling with you guys, I think I’m gonna find out eventually.”

“He’s right, Dean,” Sam rubbed his forehead. “We can’t stop just because he’s here. We won’t.”

“Dad’s not gonna like this,” the older brother sighed heavily.

Before anything else could be said, Sam spotted movement in the upstairs window.

“Dean,” he slapped his brother’s shoulder. “Look, Dean!”

All three of them looked at the house. The woman who now owned the house was standing at her window, obviously screaming. Without another word, all three of them got out of the car and sprinted toward the house.

“You two grab the kids,” Dean directed as they made it inside. “I’ll get Jenny.”

As they reached the top of the stairs, they split up. Harry ended up in the little boy’s room. He quickly gathered the toddler into his arms and headed toward the door. He met up with Sam in the hallway and they descended the stairs together. When they hit the main floor, Sam put the little girl he’d been carrying down.

“Harry, take them outside.”

Green eyes met hazel, and a frown crossed his features. He knew something was up with the taller male, but now was not the time to confront him. With a growl of frustration, he grabbed the girl’s hand and headed for the door. As he reached the portal, he heard Sam fall and the girl screamed. He didn’t stop, however, as he saw Dean and the children’s mother waiting anxiously on the lawn.

“Harry, where’s Sam?” the elder Winchester asked as they met halfway across the lawn.

“He’s inside,” Harry growled. “Something fucking grabbed him. You know, if you guys would’ve just…”

He cut off as the front door slammed closed behind them. He handed the boy over to his mother while Dean headed over to the Impala. The older brother returned a moment later with an ax and a rifle.

“We don’t have time for this,” he ran his hand through his hair.

“Yeah, well, if you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears,” Dean growled, lifting the ax and swinging it at the closed door.

The only answer he received was a loud CRACK. His gaze left the door for a moment to look at the younger male, only he wasn’t there. He scoffed lightly. Well, if this kid couldn’t handle it, he couldn’t exactly stop him from leaving, no matter what his father said. Whatever, he didn’t have time for this, Sammy was in trouble. With that thought, he continued his assault on the door.

Meanwhile, Harry landed inside the hallway of the house, his green eyes darting around in search of his newfound younger brother. He heard something slam in the next room. He followed the sound into the kitchen and found the taller male pinned against the cabinet, three inches off the ground.

“Harry,” Sam grunted, as if in pain, “what are you doing in here? You need to leave, now!”

“I’m not leaving without you, Sam,” the raven shook his head.

“Harry, no,” the younger male ground out.

The bespectacled man ignored him and turned to the room, and the source of the malevolent energy. The emerald gaze locked on a point at the far end of the room. He raised his right hand, palm out. Sam noticed a bright glow, centered around the base of his brother’s ring finger, but it soon became too much and he was forced to look away.

“Hmm,” Harry said after a moment, “I guess that didn’t work. You listen here, you piece of shit, let my brother go before I’m forced to do something you’ll regret.”

Before he could follow through with the threat, a flaming figure walked slowly around the corner. Both males watched the figure in silence as it drew nearer. A moment later, Dean finally entered the room, took one look at the scene, and raised his gun.

“No, don’t!” Sam cried. “Don’t!”

“What, why?” the eldest brother asked incredulously.

“Because I know who it is,” he said quietly. “I can see her now.”

The fire surrounding the figure faded away, revealing a beautiful blonde woman, dressed in a white nightgown. Dean stared at her in stunned disbelief, the rifle lowering almost of its own volition.

“Mom?” he whispered hoarsely.

She smiled and stepped closer to the short haired brunet.

“Dean.”

She held his tear filled gaze for a moment before moving around him to the taller male, still trapped against the cabinet.

“Sam,” her smiled faded after a moment. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Sam asked confused, tears streaming down his face.

She continued to look at him sadly, but didn’t elaborate. She then turned and began to walk away. She was stopped, however, by a hand on her arm. Three gazes turned incredulously to the final person in the room. No one was able to actually touch a spirit.

“Mum,” Harry said, his own tears flowing freely down his cheeks. “Don’t go. You… you don’t have to. I’ll… I’ll let you stay.”

“Oh, baby,” she smiled sadly, “it doesn’t work that way, and you know it. You have to let me go. My time is done. Remember, you are its master, don’t let it master you.”

“But…” he sobbed quietly.

“You’re not alone now, Harry,” she shook her head, removing his hand from her arm and holding it between both of her own. “You have your brothers now. Stay with them. Look after them for me, okay?”

The raven nodded and let his hand slip from her grasp. He buried his face in his hands and turned away, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. She watched him sadly for a moment before continuing on her previous path. She took a few steps more and glared up at the ceiling.

“You get out of my house,” she commanded. “And let go of my son.”

She burst into flames once more. The flames engulfed her and then shot up into the ceiling before finally disappearing. Sam was released from the wall and made his way over to his older brother. The pair shared a stunned look before turning their attention to the still sobbing raven.

“Now it’s over,” the younger male said sadly.

“Yeah,” Dean nodded. “But I got some questions for that one.”

The taller man nodded and together they went over to the other. Sam tentatively reached out and placed a hand on the bespectacled man’s shoulder. Harry’s head shot up in startled bewilderment, before taking a deep breath.

“W-we should go,” he shook his head. “There’s nothing left here now.”

He turned to head out of the house, but he barely managed a step before his legs threatened to give out. His brothers, however, were right there, and caught him before he had a painful meeting with the floor. Together, the trio made it out of the house.

Once outside, Dean broke off for a quick word with Jenny as the younger pair continued on to the Impala. Sam helped Harry into the back seat before he circled around to the front passenger seat. A tense silence filled the car as they waited for the eldest to join them.

A few minutes later, the short haired brunet slid into the driver’s seat.

“Okay,” he sighed. “We’re gonna stick around till morning, and Missouri’s gonna make sure you two are right and the house is clear. So, we have a few hours to kill, which means,” he turned in his seat, his arm draped across the bench so he could better see into the back, “you have some questions to answer.”

“Fine,” Harry took a deep breath. “But first, did John get a hold of you?”

“What?” the older male frowned, but fished his cell out of the pocket of his jeans. “Huh,” he scoffed, as his eyes darted back and forth as he read through the text message on the device. “Yeah, he did. But I reserve the right to shoot you if I don’t like your answers.”

“I won’t answer any of your questions unless you promise that you won’t,” the raven countered. “Look, you’re my brothers, and family means a lot to me, considering I’ve never really had any. Now, I do want to tell you everything, and John does trust me. So can you two afford me the same courtesy, please?”

“Yeah,” the youngest brother nodded. “We’ll hear you out. If we can’t live with it, we’ll let you go, we won’t hunt you down.”

“Sam!” Dean protested.

“Look, Dean,” Sam met his brother’s gaze, “obviously Dad trusts him. The least we can do is hear him out. And if we don’t like it, we can’t kill him. He’s still family. He’s mom’s son.”

“Thanks, Sam,” a grateful smile flitted across the wizard’s face.

“Fine,” the short haired brunet huffed. “But you’d better answer truthfully.”

“I won’t lie, Dean,” he rubbed the back of his right hand absently.

“Okay, what was that back there?”

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific, Dean,” Harry shook his head.

“Let’s start with how you got into the house, after I was caught,” Sam cut in.

“That’s probably the easiest part to explain,” he chuckled. “I Apparated. It’s kinda like teleporting. I can go from one point to another, as long as I know the destination and focus on it hard enough.”

“How?” Dean scowled.

“Magic.”

“What? You’re a witch?” jade eyes narrowed suspiciously. “A demon bitch? Hoodoo priest? What evil shit are you into?”

“Uh, none of the above?” a dark brow rose curiously. “I’m a wizard. I was born with magic. As were my par… I mean, my dad. We’re part of a secret society around the globe, that dates back to like forever. I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard of Merlin at least.”

“Wait, you’re saying Merlin was real?” the youngest asked incredulously.

“Off topic, Sammy,” Dean shook his head. “So you’re a ‘wizard.’ Never heard of something like that happening naturally. We’ll be looking into that, so don’t think you’re off the hook. But, I’ll accept it, for now. I want to know how you were able to touch a ghost. Or is that just another wizard thing?”

“It’s not,” Harry flinched slightly. “It’s actually something I’d rather you not spread around. Suffice it to say, it’s… complicated.”

“Does it have to do with that ring?” Sam questioned. “The one that glowed before Mom showed up?”

“Kinda,” he sighed. “As I said, it’s complicated, and I can’t really go into too much detail. And it’s not because I don’t trust you,” he added hastily as Dean’s mouth opened in protest, “it’s for your protection, as well as my own. I am the only living soul who knows the whole truth, and I have to keep it that way. But basically, this ring allows me to interact with, communicate with, and to a degree control the dead.”

“That’s freaky,” the eldest gave him a weird look.

“Tell me about it.”

“But why didn’t it work on the other spirit?” the shaggy haired brunet frowned in thought.

“Apparently, it doesn’t work on demonic energies and spirits,” Harry chuckled wryly. “Who knew? Anyway, if there are no more pressing questions, do you mind if I get some sleep? It’s kinda been a long and exhausting few days. I promise I will answer any other questions you have as they come up.”

The two Winchesters nodded mutely, unable to formulate any further questions at the moment. With a tired yawn, Harry stretched out as much as he could on the back seat and fell almost immediately asleep.


End file.
